The Alabama Crimson Tide football team is dealing with multiple positive cases of COVID-19, and things could potentially get worse.
At least five Alabama players tested positive for COVID-19
On Thursday, Rivals reported that “at least five” players in the Crimson Tide program tested positive for the coronavirus.
The players arrived back on campus this week, in concordance with an SEC vote last week that made way for voluntary in-person athletic activities on campus beginning on June 8.
There are supposed to be protocols in place to ensure the student-athletes get the best possible care when the return to campus. But it appears the players took matters into their own hands before that could take place.
At least one player who tested positive was at player-led workouts
Matt Zenitz of AL.com shared some troubling news about the COVID-19 cluster among Alabama players.
“At least one of the players who tested positive for COVID-19 was in attendance for player-led workout sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. The player was asymptomatic during those sessions, which the Crimson Tide coaching staff was not involved in coordinating.”
Simone Eli of CBS 42 confirmed this and added additional information on Thursday, noting the players who tested positive included “one lineman, a couple skill position players and one quarterback.”
Eli also reported that “nearly 50 players were together” on Wednesday working out on the band field. She also wrote that they “should” be going into quarantine moving forward, per her source at Alabama.
Alabama isn’t the only school to have players test positive for COVID-19
As other schools around the nation have allowed student-athletes back on campus, positive COVID-19 tests have become the new normal. Oklahoma State had multiple football players test positive. So also did players at Marshall, and Arkansas State had seven players test positive.
Needless to say, the process of getting football going again may be a bit more complicated and drawn out than we realized.